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Thursday, February 14, 2019

Thursday, February 14, 2019 11:50 am by Cristina in , , , , ,    No comments
A new blue plaque scheme has been launched in Bradford according to The Telegraph and Argus.
Bradford's newly-relaunched blue plaque scheme will begin by honouring four previously unrecognised women who have done pioneering work in the worlds of social reform, literacy, childcare and aviation.
The scheme will also honour a pioneering forensic scientist from Bradford as well as the city’s newly refurbished St George’s Hall and the former Odeon building as part of its ‘historic buildings’ category.
The first five new ‘people plaques’ for Bradford will seek to address an historic gender imbalance of memorials in the city by being dedicated to female Bradfordians who have made a significant contribution to the wellbeing and cultural status of the city.
These include: Trade unionist and suffragette Julia Varley OBE; Renowned writer Malachi Whitaker; Philanthropist Florence Moser; George Cross recipient Barbara Harrison GC; and a new recognition for the Brontë sisters at their Bradford birthplace. (Tim Quantrill)
More on remarkable people from Yorkshire in The Yorkshire Post:
More than 20 works of art depicting some of Yorkshire’s “game changers, rebels and influencers” will go on display next month in the saloon galleries at Beningbrough Hall, an early 18th century red brick mansion north of York.
The subjects include the former local resident Guy Fawkes, executed for his part in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, and the Skelmanthorpe actress Jodie Whittaker, who currently inhabits the character TV’s time travelling Doctor Who.
The veteran chat show host Michael Parkinson, who hails from Barnsley, is another subject, along with the Leeds boxer Nicola Adams, and Haworth’s Charlotte Brontë.
Time Out gives 3 stars out of 5 to The Moors at Seymour Centre in Sydney.
The script is lively and camp even when it comments on queer desire and unhealthy possession, female oppression and rage, and is written to be sharp and blackly comedic; it’s a pleasure to experience Silverman’s work.
This production of The Moors, however, by independent group Siren Theatre Co and directed by Kate Gaul, doesn’t cut quite as cleanly or deeply as the script. It’s too loose and too broad to land with a satisfying rip; the production frequently feels at odds with the script. It’s more playful than cutting, more charming than precise, and while it’s still funny and easy to watch, there’s a sense that the work could be refined and elevated. You can’t get lost in these moors.
Still, there are highlights: the cast are all enjoyable to watch, and Bartz’s delivery of Agatha’s most dismissive lines is a delight. The slow-revolve upon which the show’s single setpiece (a running gag of meta-theatricality often mentioned in the script – yes, the bedroom does just look like the parlour!) is built creates a wonderfully off-kilter, low-key foreboding. Even if the production feels gentler and less impactful than its underlying script, Gaul’s direction does feel unified, consistent and thoughtful.
It’s a fun night, and there are plenty of laughs to be hard. But you may well feel like you’ve been left hanging; there’s a sense that we could have had more from The Moors than we ended up receiving. (Cassie Tongue)
Entertainment Weekly interviews actress Samantha Morton about her role in The Walking Dead.
Did you go back and look at the comic books at all? Yeah, I did look at it, and that’s really out of respect and intrigue. I’ve done adaptations of novels, like Jane Eyre or all sorts of things. I’ve played Myra Hindley, who is a real person, and I had to listen to tapes of her voice. That was for the film Longford I did years ago with Tom Hooper, and I was playing a real person. I have to do the research, and I have to be as respectful as I can be. But in the past when I’ve done adaptations, I get bogged down in an inspiring way, but I’m going back to the book all the time, saying to the writers and the directors, “But look, in here, it’s this and this and this!” It can actually hinder you. It doesn’t free you up when you’re on the set. (Dalton Ross)
Nantwich News reports that,
A former Miss England from Nantwich has released an EP after collaborating with José Feliciano and Irish group Clannad.
Natasha Hemmings, 23, hopes the release will launch her musical career while she completes her final year at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. [...]
For the past two years, she has been writing and recording her EP music, recorded at Abbey Road studios.
The EP release has three songs – “My Valentine” written by Natasha, “Wuthering Heights” and Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing”.
You can listen to the song here.

And now for the Valentine's Day stuff. Women's Web (India) has included a fragment from a letter from Charlotte Brontë to Constantin Heger on a list of 'Quotes From Love Letters Of Famous Women To Inspire You'.
Charlotte Brontë to her former teacher, Constantin Héger
In 1842 Charlotte Brontë, famous author, moved to Brussels by herself to teach English and music, and fell madly in love with Constantin Heger, the school owner and French tutor.
Heger was a married man, and Brontë did do anything beyond sending him deep emotional letters to convey her love although from a distance. Heger did not respond to them, and perturbed, let his wife take over. Interestingly Madame Heger instructed Brontë to write at the most once in six months.
Fed up of the letters Heger tore up the letters but Madame fetched them from garbage and pinned them back together. Four decades later, Heger’s daughter submitted them to some publications to have these letters published and portray to the world, the complexity of Brontë’s character.
Quote
Perhaps you will say to me — “I no longer take the slightest interest in you Miss Charlotte — you no longer belong to my household — I have forgotten you.” Well Monsieur, tell me so candidly — it will be a shock to me — that doesn’t matter — it will still be less horrible than uncertainty.
GQ India shares '5 dating lessons you can learn from these classic romance novels', including one from Jane Eyre.
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
A rich landowner falls for her humble yet intelligent governess, Jane Eyre, and marries her. What’s different about this love story, you may ask? Well, for one, Mr. Rochester is hiding (quite literally) his old wife from his new one. As you can imagine, that did not go down well with Jane. What unfolds is a revolutionary story of a young girl who sets out to find her individuality and the eventual triumph of love over all.
Lesson to be learnt: Let your partner be their own person – you might need them to take care of you someday. (Radhika Agrawal)
(Seriously, what a silly lesson to draw from Jane Eyre!)

She the People recommends '12 Timeless Romance Stories And Other Tales Of Love' including
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
With her 1847 novel, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë created one of the most unforgettable heroines of all time. An orphan, the penniless and plain Jane endures incredible hardship to secure a governess position for a young girl in the creepy household of her employer, Mr Edward Rochester. Jane’s sharp wit and defiant nature meet with Rochester’s sardonic temperament, and the two form a deep, intense bond. But the house has dark secrets, and the courageous and spirited Jane is forced to make a heart-wrenching choice. An unconventional love story, it is ultimately the tale of one woman’s fight to claim her independence and self-respect in a society that has no place for her. [...]
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
Published in 1847, the year before Emily Brontë’s death at the age of thirty, and incorporating elements of many genres—from gothic novels and ghost stories to poetic allegory—the author’s only novel is one of the nineteenth century’s most popular yet disturbing masterpieces. Heathcliff loves Catherine Earnshaw, and Catherine loves Heathcliff. But, class snobbery gets in the way of their passion. Through Catherine’s betrayal of Heathcliff and his bitter vengeance, their mythic passion haunts the next generation even after their deaths. With the windswept moors as the unforgettable setting, and the stark depiction of mental and physical cruelty, the novel challenges religious hypocrisy, morality, social classes and gender inequality. Love and anguish are hand in hand here. This is perhaps the most haunting and tormented love story ever written. (Archana Pai Kulkarni)
Espalha Factos (Portugal) has surprised us with one of the items of its list of best couples in literature.
Jane Eyre e Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë)
Jane Eyre conta a história da titular Jane, uma órfã que, após sair da escola interna para onde a tia a mandou, encontra trabalho como preceptora na mansão inglesa de Mr. Rochester, que tarda em fazer-se conhecer e, quando o faz, é rude e não muito bonito. Aliás, a própria Jane diz ser feia, mas nesta história, não é a aparência que importa. É a personalidade que Jane demonstra e desenvolve ao longo do romance  – opinativa e surpreendentemente independente – que a tornou numa icónica personagem feminista, que com ela conquista o coração e a mente do duro e complicado (e não pouco problemático) Rochester, que só podem ficam juntos após sofrem ambos grandes perdas. [...]
Helen Graham e Gilbert Markham (A Inquilina de Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë)
Uma das primeiras obras claramente feministas, A Inquilina de Wildfell Hall é um romance epistolar sobre Helen Graham, que surge na vila onde Gilbert Markham vive e aluga Wildfell Hall, onde vive com o filho e se dedica a pintar quadros que vende. A sua vida antes de ali chegar parece estar rodeada em mistério: quem ela será? Onde está o marido? Chocados, correm rumores entre os vizinhos, mas Markham não se deixa convencer pelas conversas da vila e tenta travar amizade com Helen, e da própria descobrir a sua história. O livro explora temas como os perigos do álcool e do jogo, e como estes podem destruir uma família, e a coragem de uma mãe que decide salvar o filho das más influências paternas, apesar de não só quebrar regras sociais como leis inglesas da altura ao fazê-lo. Mas apesar de tudo isto, Markham não julga Helen, pelo contrário, apoia-a e aceita-a, e ambos fazem um par que se complementa e compreende numa altura em que a igualdade entre um casal estava ainda longe de existir. (Mariana Nunes) (Translation)
Deccan Chronicle recommends 'Books that immortalise love in verses and stories'.
Romance and literature have always intertwined with each other to create riveting manuscripts. Be it Heathcliff’s raw passion in Emily Brontë’s novel ‘Wuthering Heights’ or the strange affection shared between Hazel and Augustus in John Green’s ‘The Fault in our Stars’. (Ani)
Latestly lists 'Hot Literary Heroes to Lust Over', including
Edward Rochester
Does not boast of a handsome face. Has a crazy wife locked up in his mansion’s attic. He is also moody, arrogant, cynical and jaded. That’s Charlotte Brontë’s hero (read: anti-hero) from Jane Eyre – Edward Rochester. Despite a long list of shortcomings, Mr Rochester sweeps the novel’s young heroine, Jane (as well as readers) off her feet. The brooding, difficult and secretive master of Thornfield Hall is not your ideal man. In fact, this Byronic hero is far from perfect. But despite all odds, you cannot stop from falling in love with him. Watch this "There Is No Debt" clip from 2011 movie Jane Eyre based on Brontë’s novel. It starred the very talented Michael Fassbender as Mr Rochester and wonderful Mia Wasikowska as Jane. (Rashmi Mishra)
El Diario (Spain) considers Wuthering Heights a toxic read for Valentine's Day but recommends it nonetheless.
TÓXICO
"Cumbres Borrascosas, de Emily Brontë. Más que sobre el amor romántico esta historia trata, entre muchas otras cosas, de una historia de dependencia emocional. Precisamente por eso, y porque pocas veces he estado más enamorado de una novela, recomiendo con entusiasmo su lectura.
Ahora bien, como en todo clásico, sólo sirve una lectura activa, atenta. El título de la novela no es sólo el nombre de una granja: esta borrasca es una historia de amor donde la obsesión roza lo obsceno y la cordura penetra en los terrenos de la servidumbre. Pero es aquí, en esta claudicación, donde la comunidad lectora tiene que comprender la necesidad de los límites y encontrar en sí mismo la arrogancia necesaria para mantener esa parcela propia de la dignidad. Un título recomendable a todos aquellos que sepan ver cuáles son las verdaderas cumbres borrascosas de las que hablaba Brontë". (Laura Ferrero) (Translation)
LitHub has an article on 'On Kate Bush’s Radical Interpretation of Wuthering Heights. Or, how to teach English with a music video'. AnneBrontë.org wonders, 'What Was In The Brontë Valentine’s Day Cards?' and imagines what William Weightman's poems could have been like.

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